"Erumbeeswarar Temple" at Thiruverumbur between Trichy and Thanjavur. The Trichy
- Thanjavur belt, on the banks of the Cauvery River was the seat of power of the
mighty Cholas who were great patrons of art. Under their rule, they built and revived
innumerable temples like the Brihadeeshwarar temple, SriRanganathaswamy Temple. This
area also has a lot of hidden treasures - small temples, seeping with history, and
architecture. Many of these small temples are currently patronized by the locals
of the area who take great pride in its history. One such temple is the Erumbeeswarar
Temple located on top of a small hillock midway between Trichy and Thanjavur

Literally translated, the word erumbu means ant in Tamil. The story goes that, the
asura (demon) Karan captured the hillock temple of Lord Shiva and unleashed his tyranny
on the local residents and prevented people from entering the temple. The worried
devas (demi gods) assumed the form of ants and entered the temple premises, slipping
past the guards. The Lord in the form of a Shiva Lingam transformed into an anthill
to show that He heard their prayers and helped the devas overcome Karan. The Shiva
Lingam today has a rough texure like an anthill.Archaeologists trace the temple's
construction to the 7th century and the site is a protected monument under the Archaeological
Survey of India. The temple walls have numerous inscriptions from the Chola and Pandya
eras. The temple is housed inside fortress like walls and one ascends a flight of
granite steps to access the temple.

Shri Erumbeeswarar

Historical Name :Erumbiyur, City :Tiruverumbur, District:Tiruchchirappalli, State :Tamil Nadu